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BURMA DRUG PRODUCTION CHART READING
Subject: BURMA DRUG PRODUCTION CHART READINGS
/* Written 22 Sep 6:00am 1996 by drunoo@xxxxxxxxxxxx in igc:reg.burma */
/* -------------" Opium Production Chart readings "--------------- */
Following is data reading from a World's Top-Four Opium Production: A graph
that appears in page 28 of "Burma Debate" March/April 1996. Burma has been
the top-ranking opium producer for the decade 86-95. Evidences are also
that a dramatic increase in Opium production since 1989, when SLORC struck
ceasefire with former CPB rebels. -- U Ne Oo.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
SOURCE: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Top Four Countries in World Opium Production
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
-------------------------------
Opium Production in Metric Tons
(date read-out from a graph)
-------------------------------
YEAR BURMA AFGHANSTAN LAOS PAKISTON
---- ----- ---------- ---- --------
1986 1,100 300 250 200
1987 1,200 600 260 250
1988 1,250 700 260 250
1989 2,450 600 300 150
1990 2,250 400 250 200
1991 2,300 480 250 210
1992 2,270 650 250 200
1993 2,600 700 210 200
1994 2,100 950 80 200
1995 2,300 1,250 200 180
---------------------------------------------------------------
SOUTHEAST ASIA: Opium Cultivation and Production
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1991 1992 1993 1994 1995
---- ---- ---- ---- ----
Net cultivation 192,625 181,360 194,720 167,230 175,470
(hectres)
Burma 160,000 153,700 165,800 146,600 154,070
Laos 29,625 25,610 26,040 18,520 19,650
Thailand 3,000 2,050 2,880 2,110 1,750
------------------ ------- ------- ------- ------ ------
Potential Production 2,650 2,543 2,797 2,132 2,545
(metric tons)
Burma 2,350 2,280 2,575 2,030 2,340
Laos 265 230 180 85 180
Thailand 35 24 42 17 25
------------------- ------ ------- ------- ------ ------
Potential heroin 221 211 234 177 212
(metric tons)
Burma 196 190 215 169 195
Laos 22 19 15 7 15
Thailand 3 2 4 1 2
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Some Excerpts from Francois Casanier's article
(Burma Debate Mar/Apr 1996)
A NARCO-DICTATORSHIP IN PROGRESS
FORCED NARCO-AGRICULTURE: It has been reported by eyewitnesses that SLORC
officers posted in eastern Shan State have visited rural villages,
encouraging farmers to plant poppies, explaining that it is the only real
means for them to pay the taxes that would be collected after the year's
harvest. (The level of taxation is so high that only opium production can
provide the requred payment). In some cases, in isolated hamlets located
far from traditional poppy growing areas, the military delivers the poppy
seed and provides techincal assistance during the harvest. Forced labour in
Burma is not confined to public woris, railway construciton or paorters for
the army. There is also a forced narco-agriculture. In this part of the
country, all levels of the opium-heroin trades are directly controlled by
special units of the Burmese army.
.....................................
..................................
SLORC'S BLACK MONEY: It is often been said that "small streams create large
rivers." This saying is brilliantly demonstrated in SLORC's ability to
channel Burmese heroin revenue into secret funds and private pockets. It is
by the grace of these funds that SLORC has been able to re-equip and expand
threefold its army since 1989, unofficially spending upwards of $2 billion
with an official currency balance of not more than $250 million. (Off the
record, World Bank experts will not deny the validity of this estimation.)
Between the private pockets of high ranking Slorc generals and
their relatives on the one hand, and SLORC's defense spending on the other,
it is practically impossible to determine where narco-dollars go. For
instance, attempts to research the ownership of the new private airline,
Air Mandalay, has met with little success. Based in Singapore, the new
holding received loans from a Frency bank to operate a few
French-and-Italian-made ATR aircraft. This commercial operation is
considered to be a state secret in France and in Singapore, which allows
the amount of the loan and the identities of the true shareholders of the
Singaporean holding company to be concealed.
This lack of transparency is paradoxical in a country like
Singapore, which claims to apply very strict anti-drug policies, with
systematic death penalties for small traffickers. It is also curious that
Singaporean monetary authorities haven't uncovered a single case of
money-laundering in the numerous finai=ncial and commercial operations
between the two countries, despite the fact that the Far Eastern Economic
Review, as far back as 1992, demonstrated that the only substantial source
of hard currency for Burma was from the export of heroin.
Official sources consider Singapore to be Burma's largest single
foreign investor. The question Singapore refuses to ask is: What portion of
Burma's capital comes from the hard labour of poor peasants forced to plant
poppy seeds ? -- a question that should apply to all those doing business
with this regime.
/* Endreport */